The University recently added a pair of prestigious acknowledgements to its ever-growing collection of honors.

The Student Union was recognized this month by the Florida Chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida) as the best educational building and voted the top building in the state in a poll of architects. The public also voted UNF’s Student Union as the No. 4 building overall in the state. It’s the only Northeast Florida building in the top five. About 2.4 million votes were cast.

“We’re thrilled to have been voted as the No. 1 educational facility in Florida and to be selected as the top pick by architects,” said Zak Ovadia, director of UNF Campus Planning, Design and Construction. “It’s also an honor to be among the buildings recognized by AIA as the top 100 buildings that have beneficially added to the unique architectural fabric of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.”

The Top 100 Buildings statewide online competition was launched in March, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of AIA Florida. The competition identified 100 structures across the state that represent the best in architectural achievement, a natural fit for UNF’s Student Union.

Designed by Rink Design Partnership Inc., the $40.1 million, 150,000-square-foot glass-and-metal showstopper was completed in 2009.

UNF’s aesthetic beauty isn’t the only reason the University is a topic of conversation among national higher education ranking organizations.

The Princeton Review also selected UNF as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada. As part of a partnership between Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council, the third annual Guide to Green Colleges profiles institutions that demonstrate a dedication to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. This is UNF’s second straight year on the list, and it’s no wonder why.

The University’s green building practices have become a priority campus initiative. Spearheaded by Ovadia, 100 percent of new construction on campus is either LEED-certified or pursuing certification. That includes the new Biological Sciences Building, which opened its doors earlier this year after coming in ahead of schedule and under budget, and the aforementioned Student Union.

UNF’s sustainability research is also top-notch, as evidenced by the State of the River Report for the Lower St. Johns River Basin and the ongoing work of the thriving Coastal Biology Flagship Program.

These recent honors are no isolated incidents. UNF was also included on the Princeton Review top 75 “best value” public colleges and universities list from earlier this year, the fourth time the University has received the honor.

A full list of all the national awards the University has racked up are available online here.

A birds-eye view takes on new meaning after seeing the Osprey Flight Path in action.

Designed by a trio of University of North Florida students from Dr. Ching-Hua Chuan’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course, Osprey Flight Path is an expandable mobile application that allows its users to glide quickly and easily across campus.

Simply put, just about every inch of the main UNF campus is mapped out for users, showing the quickest routes between classrooms and other campus points. It’s not publicly available yet, and it’s only usable on a desktop computer at the moment, but plans are in place for mobile browser functionality.

The students — Erick Douglas, Marc Mazour and Nihar Goswami — said the project was designed with the entire campus community in mind.

Awestruck freshmen who were previously lost the moment they stepped outside their residence hall rooms can trek across the campus worry-free. Hurried adjuncts can map out how to get from car to class in record time.

It’s as simple as typing in the soon-to-be web address, plotting your location and destination and following along.

“Applying theories from our coursework to the real world is what we set out to do,” said Goswami, a senior computer science major.

“It’s all about ease-of-use,” said Douglas, a senior information technology major. “There wasn’t a University application available like this, so we decided to make it ourselves.”

That kind of forward-thinking and problem solving is what Chuan said she wants to instill in her students.

“Students learn best when they’re taking real-world problems and designing their projects around applications that can solve those issues,” she said. “Hands-on learning helps them get the experience they need to tackle those problems. That’s what we try and teach at UNF, and that’s what these students embraced.”

Osprey Flight Path allows users to plot their starting building and the destination building into a user-friendly graphic interface. Considering Google Maps and other GPS devices aren’t capable of mapping paths to and from on-campus buildings, students worked to refine available maps. They plotted node points and used those to determine the quickest ways to get from Point A to Point B.

Chuan already graded their work, but the students continue to toil away on Osprey Flight Path in their free time. Their work has evolved into a labor of love, and they want to see the project evolve into something bigger than a classroom assignment.

Lance Taylor, UNF's Chief Information Officer, commended the students on their application for pushing the envelope. And while it is exciting to be on the cutting edge of technology — especially when student-led — Taylor cautioned that all such programs, if they are to be supported long-term by the University, must go through the proper vetting channels to ensure we have the staff and infrastructure to support and relate it to other initiatives currently in progress.

The students have already started thinking of ideas for future iterations — a more streamlined interface, more data points for a better user experience. The ideas are endless.

And they’ve applied for one of the University SMART Grants, which are awarded to undergraduate students and their faculty mentors who are engaged in collaborative scholarly endeavors. They’ve also turned some heads at conferences.

The project won first place out of about 40 projects in UNF’s 2011 School of Computing Student Symposium, and the students were invited to present in the 2nd Annual Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson University in March. Their work caught the eyes of dozens of event guests, including representatives from other colleges in the State University System who could be interested in adapting the Osprey Flight Path project for their own campuses.

“We spoke with people from UF [University of Florida] and FSU [Florida State University] about Flight Path, and they loved it,” Mazour, a junior computer science major said. “There hasn’t been something like this done at a lot of colleges. We’re breaking some new ground, I guess.”

When University of North Florida freshman Yuri Rodriguez moved to the United States from Colombia in 2007, he didn’t speak a word of English.

He admits he was scared at first.

Being thrust into a new country with a foreign language while taking classes in an equally foreign education system would cause tremendous anxiety to anyone, much less a teenager.

That fear didn’t last long.

Rodriguez blasted through English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at Sandalwood High School as quickly as they were offered. By his sophomore year, Rodriguez was just about fluent.

Now a UNF psychology major, Rodriguez aspires to be a doctor. He credits his family and a dedicated cadre of teachers who pushed him to pursue his education, no matter how difficult it seemed at first.

“Some students might think they should give up when things get tough,” he said. “But in my case, I had people supporting me through it all. Having that support is the key.”

Rodriguez’s story was the centerpiece of an April presentation by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, one of a national association of local education funds striving to to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country, inside the Student Union Building.

Jax PEF’s ONE in THREE exhibit, which includes pictures and stories of 20 current and former Duval County Public School students, was installed just outside UNF’s Intercultural Center for PEACE office. It’s a part of Jax PEF’s ONE by ONE initiative, which aims to increase community engagement in public education in Duval County.

Oupa Seane, the center’s director, said the Fund’s ongoing push to involve the community in conversations about public education and student engagement is a core focus of his office, and of the University in general.

“A University’s role is to be engaging the community on a fundamental level about the status of education, from young students to doctoral scholars,” Seane said. “This is also what the Public Education Fund is doing — increasing the dialogue. Change can’t start without a dialogue.”

Rachael Tutwiler, a UNF grad and former Student Government president who now works as Jax PEF’s manager for community engagement, said Jacksonville is at an educational tipping point.She said surveys indicate most residents care deeply about education in Duval County, but local K-12 public schools are facing greater challenges than ever before.

That’s where the Fund fits in, and that’s why strategic partnerships with places such as UNF are key, she said.

“UNF was the first higher-education institution to engage us in a conversation about what we can do to help our students,” Tutwiler said. “We’ve spoken with President (John A.) Delaney about how UNF can get involved, and we’ve opened a good dialogue about how we can benefit each other for the betterment of these students. They need a support system in place to keep them focused on school, and other people need to know about what some of these students go through to get an education. It means a lot when you look at it through the lens of a university. Students dream about getting a degree. And with the proper support in place, they can.”

Rodriguez said getting involved with Jax PEF’s ONE in Three exhibit was a no-brainer. He is thankful for the opportunities he received and wants other students to know that they’re not alone.

“I’m in a good place, going to a great school and pursuing a great future,” he said. “It wasn’t easy. But it can be done. All it takes is some help.”

That culture of tolerance and acceptance even extends to a student’s educational send-off, as evidenced by the recent Lavender Graduation.

The fourth annual event, sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center, honored eight recent and soon-to-be graduates for their academic accomplishments. Each of the graduates was acknowledged for their success in the classroom while overcoming the social and political stresses of being a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender college student or for being a dedicated ally of the LGBT community. Each graduate received a rainbow tassel for their cap and a certificate to symbolize their success.

Natalie Nguyen, program assistant for the Resource Office, said the event carries a special importance for UNF’s LGBT community members, who are able to share their special memories from UNF with family, friends and other allies in a relaxed, stress-free environment.

“It’s truly a celebration of all the good things about their time here at UNF,” Nguyen said.

Ceremony attendees were treated to a banquet-style meal and a program that involved a brief history of the Lavender Graduation.

The first Lavender Graduation ceremony, which was created by UNF alumni Ronnie Sanlo, took place at the University of Michigan in 1995. Sanlo, who was then LGBT Campus Resource Center director at the college, used her own experiences as an LGBT graduate as a frame of reference for other similar students. She wanted to provide recognition for scholars who not only accomplished their academic goals but persevered through their collegiate years at a time when many academic environments weren’t as accepting of LGBT students.

Sanlo, who is now director at the University of California, Los Angeles LGBT Resource Center, has helped introduce the Lavender Graduation at 59 different colleges, all of which are included on a list of the top 100 LGBT Friendly Colleges and Universities by The Advocate, an American LGBT-focused magazine.

The ceremony is wrapped in symbolism, even down to its name. Lavender, a combination of pink and purple, mixes symbols that were historically used against LGBT individuals.

It unifies the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle forced onto lesbian political prisoners in Nazi Germany.

“It’s yet another way of taking back symbols that were used to portray people from the LGBT community in a negative light,” Nguyen said. “The Lavender Graduation is a way of creating another positive experience for students who in past years might not have received such support.”

It’s also another example of how UNF values and nurtures the diversity of its campus community.

For example, the majority of faculty, staff and students at UNF who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender report that the overall campus environment is accepting of them, according to a campus climate survey conducted in 2010.

The original survey, conducted in 2005, indicated only 16 percent of LGBT faculty and staff and 29 percent of LGBT students felt the campus environment was accepting. That survey was just one step in an overarching plan to promote on-campus acceptance through the establishment of an on-campus LGBT Resource Center. Two members of the Committee on Equity and Civility worked with a panel of 17 faculty, staff and students who identified as LGBT to make more than a dozen specific recommendations to improve the campus climate. Among them was to provide a full-time coordinator for the on-campus LGBT resource center, to increase the number of safe or welcoming places for LGBT students and to open UNF’s curriculum to discussion and acknowledgment of sexual orientation.

Nguyen said the campus climate has evolved to the point that prospective LGBT scholars have begun to choose UNF specifically for its reputation for tolerance and acceptance.

“Just last week I was speaking with a student who choose UNF over any other state school because we have the LGBT Resource Center,” Nguyen said. “That says a lot about the campus, and UNF as a whole.”

University of North Florida staff members literally wrote the book on student affairs.

“Student Affairs for All Seasons and Reasons: Leadership by Example” is a collection of essays penned by about two-dozen directors from UNF’s Division of Student Affairs. Published earlier this year by Administrator’s Bookshelf, the text lists departmental best practices from UNF’s wide-ranging Student Affairs program that can help enhance the college experience for students and other student affairs practitioners from other colleges.

Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, vice president for Student and International Affairs, said the book was a labor of love put together by his staff during the past 2 1/2 years.

Gonzalez said he’s carried with him the idea for a student affairs best practice book for years. It’s even followed him through two stops at different colleges.

“I’ve thought about putting together a book dealing with best practices and future trends and changes in the world of student affairs, but it never quite came together at my previous universities,” he said. “I believe it came down to personnel. But at UNF, our staff had the skill and desire to get it done. It was a tremendous group undertaking, and the idea truly worked here at UNF.”

Gonzalez credited Dr. Annabel Brooks, director of the Institute for Values, Community and Leadership, with leading the charge to put together the text.

Brooks said she approached the book as a way to get better about pedagogy, or teaching how UNF Student Affairs operates. The main push to work on the book came around the same time as an accreditation analysis of the department, she said.

“Dr. Gonzalez and I both thought that was a good time to commit to writing our best practices, seeing as how we would be a major focus of that accreditation period,” she said. “The experience clearly made us, as student affairs practitioners, more rigorous and more intentional about how we lead our departments.”

The book is available online here or in the UNF Bookstore for $39.50. Sales go toward a Student Affairs scholarship fund for students.

Campus departments that want to enhance their social media presence should attend a discussion later this month led by an international expert.

Lida Citroën, an international reputation management expert, will present “Social Media: Hurt or Help?” to the University of North Florida community at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 17 in the Student Union Auditorium.

In this hour-long program, Citroën will delve into the power of social media to create, enhance and advance the professional reputation of the University, its work and the students and communities it supports.

“A member of the UNF Board of Trustees is bringing Citroën to Jacksonville to spend some time with his company,” said Tom Serwatka, UNF vice president and chief of staff. “Thanks to his generosity, we are able to have this expert of national caliber join us on our campus to share her intellect and insight with us, all free-of-charge to UNF."

An accomplished speaker, author and adviser to CEOs, executives and businesses, Citroën captivates audiences with her empowering message about intentionally managing your brand and reputation to attract opportunities. For more than 20 years, Citroën has brought her unique, engaging and actionable techniques to clients, earning her international acclaim as an expert in reputation management and personal branding.

She is the author of the best selling book, Reputation 360: Creating power through personal branding, available in print and e-book format.

At UNF, she will discuss how to build a brand online, engage audiences online and manage the landmines that exist in social media. She will also talk about who should oversee the social media efforts of UNF and its various stakeholders.

The discussion is open to the whole of the University community, and there will be a time for questions from the audiences. Come ready to learn and ask questions of this world-renowned expert. If you'd like to attend, RSVP to Linda Mobley at extension 2125.

Four years ago, Clark and Jan Lindley didn’t even know the University of North Florida existed. Today, they are two of UNF’s biggest fans and are also enthusiastic supporters of the University’s newest sport — women’s golf.

In the process, they are illustrating how The Power of Transformation campaign changes the lives of students.

The Lindleys own and operate StoneField Bison Ranch, a small buffalo breeding operation in New Hampshire, as well as several insurance companies.

About five years ago, Clark introduced his wife to the game of golf while they were on a vacation to Ponte Vedra Beach. The couple played at the Sawgrass Country Club. The following year, the snowbirds returned to the area and Clark participated in the pro-am practice round of the John Hayt Golf Tournament hosted at Sawgrass.

“We were impressed with the professionalism and demeanor of the UNF students on the men’s golf team,” Clark said. “That piqued our interest in the University.”

Men’s Golf Coach Scott Schroeder made arrangements for the Lindleys to visit UNF.

In the intervening years, they became more and more familiar with UNF and were impressed with what they saw. During a campus tour, they became aware of the University’s plan to launch a NCAA Division I women’s golf program in the 2012-13 season.

“We’ve always been interested in getting involved in the early stages of new programs,” Clark said. “In this case, we fell in love with the University and the students.”

The love affair was larger than the golf program or even Athletics. Jan explained they immediately noticed a difference on the UNF campus. “It was a combination of factors,” she said. “The campus was attractive and free of graffiti, and we really enjoyed the interaction with students. The students greeted us warmly, and there was a sense of hospitality. We are alumni of four different colleges, and we found ourselves deciding to support UNF.”

The Lindleys were so enthusiastic they decided to begin a scholarship for the golf team with a special emphasis on endeavoring to bring students from the New England area to play golf at UNF.

With out-of-state tuition rates significantly higher, Joanne Steele, the coach of UNF’s new women’s golf team, is very appreciative of the assistance. Steele has been actively involved in recruiting players for the first team, which begins tournament competition in October. Steele has already recruited her first class of six students-athletes who she’ll lead into the inaugural season.

“Whenever you are starting a new Division I team, it is essential to have a core of strong supporters who can help with the myriad expenses,” Steele said. “The Lindleys are among the earliest supporters of our team. Their financial assistance is greatly appreciated.”

Although the Lindley’s donation of $20,000 is primarily for scholarships, the gift gives UNF Athletics the opportunity to reallocate other funds for a campus renovation project. Specifically, two rooms in the Hayt Golf Learning Center, which had been used for biology projects, will be renovated for a locker room and meeting room for the women’s team. The biology lab has since moved to the new Biological Sciences Building. The goal is to have at least the locker room renovated in time for the start of the new golf season this fall.

The Lindleys are also lending their support for the women’s golf program while wintering in Florida. They have met with several community leaders who share their interest in developing the program as well as a few LPGA Tour participants.

“We believe in strong academic standards,” Clark said. “And UNF students exhibit the strong traditional values we believe in. We also know that golf is a wonderful way to round out a college education so these young people can be good stewards for the future of our country.”

The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, a cultural resource of the University of North Florida, explores one of the grooviest decades in contemporary art with its latest exhibition, ReFocus: Art of the 1970s, on display until Sunday, Aug. 26.

MOCA will examine the “Me Decade” that gave rise to photorealism, earthworks and conceptual art and expanded the boundaries of abstract painting, video, performance and installation Art.

As the 1970s dawned, American society was still reeling from the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and the artistic explosions that accompanied them. Artists and their public alike were experiencing a period of freedom and taboo-breaking unprecedented in American history. When the smoke cleared, there seemed to be little left that artists hadn’t tried and audiences hadn’t seen.

“Art during the 1970s became defined by fragmentation of artists and their audiences, the retreat from collective movements in favor of personal statements, and the desire to create new art forms by fusing existing forms, as well as stepping outside the confines of museums or galleries,” said Dr. Marcelle Polednik, director of MOCA.

In the wake of the artistic innovations of the 1960s, movements and art forms that had seemed groundbreaking or revolutionary played themselves out. Exhausted by the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and disillusioned by the implosion of their Utopian ideals, artists rejected statements as irrelevant and instead concentrated on personal artistic goals. Still others, and much of the art audience at large, took refuge in nostalgia, seeking comfort in images that reflected the lost innocence of a pre-1960s America, she said.

Whatever they embraced, many artists sensed that reaching a single mass audience was increasingly unlikely — or even undesirable — and that their commercial appeal, especially in the face of the nation's economic setbacks, was limited.

The age of the artist as superstar seemed over. Unlike the 1950s and 1960s, which produced many celebrities in art, the 1970s progressed with the majority of its biggest talents working far from the mainstream and appreciated by a select — usually underground — audience.

In addition to the exhibition, ReFocus: Art of the 1970s includes substantial public programs that further the educational goals of the project. From lectures about art, history and culture to in-gallery tours; from free brochures to on-line content and audio guides, visitors to MOCA will have numerous opportunities to explore this significant period in greater depth and richness. The public program schedule includes:

LECTURE: “Picture This: The Art of Photorealism”

7 p.m., Thursday, May 17

Join MOCA Director Dr. Marcelle Polednik for a discussion of the history, process and context of photorealism, including emphasis on prominent artists such as Richard Estes, Chuck Close and Robert Bechtle.

FILM: !Women Art Revolution

7 p.m., Thursday, June 21

The film details major developments in women’s art of the 1970s, including the first feminist art education programs, political organizations and protests, alternative art spaces and exhibitions.

FILM: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

8 p.m. and midnight, Saturday, July 28

Join us for one of the defining cultural experiences of the 1970s — a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, accompanied by an on-stage re-enactment by The 5 & Dime Players. Audience participation is welcomed.

FILM: “Running Fence”

7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 16

Running Fence depicts the long struggle by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to build a 24-mile fence of white fabric over the hills of California disappearing into the Pacific.

MOCA is expanding the exhibition experience beyond the art through a special partnership with the Jacksonville Public Library. From books by Tom Wolfe to music by The Ramones, plus films and other materials, the art, artists and culture from the ’70s come to life. Check out the Pop Culture Universe database, special monthly programming, a selection of books, music and movies by decade and more at www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/moca.

For more information about ReFocus: Art of the 1970s and its related activities, visit www.mocajacksonville.unf.edu or call MOCA at (904) 366-6911.

Brooks College of Health students, faculty battle it out during college Olympics

Wellness is a serious focus for the students and faculty of the University of North Florida’s Brooks College of Health.

To test that dedication to health, the college recently organized an Olympics-style competition pitting academic programs against each other.

Students and faculty competed in the college’s own versions of Olympics events that ranged from the fun — cornhole, water balloon tossing, Frisbee and an obstacle course — to the more intense — push-up contests and sprints. The teams also competed in a few soccer matches.

Dr. Pam Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, said the event was a way to put action behind the college’s academic focus on overall wellness.

“We teach our students in the classroom the fundamentals of healthy living,” Chally said. “So it only makes sense to put that into action in the real world.”

The athletic training program team took home the Brooks Olympics gold medal, followed by physical therapy with silver and exercise science with bronze.

And as noted in a follow-up e-mail from the college, no one was injured and no bones were broken, not even among the faculty participants.

I oversee all marketing for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which covers 18 counties in Northeast Florida. It is my job to make sure everyone knows the SBDC provides potential and existing business owners with consulting and training in all aspects of business management and growth and that we are located here at UNF.

Years at UNF: Eight

What is the proudest/happiest moment of your life?

I’m actually proud of the fact that I have lived on my own since I was 18. I paid for my entire undergrad education and living expenses. I had two concurrent jobs, and I still finished in four years with a high GPA. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I was thrilled when it was over!

Tell us about your family. My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 12 years. We have two children — Grace, 10, and Matthew, 6. We are constantly on the go, attending dance competitions, soccer games, Cub Scout meetings and piano practice. We enjoy trips down to Disney World as often as possible.

What is your favorite thing about working at UNF?

I love those with whom I work with and the part we are playing in strengthening the economy through small business.

If you could choose any other career, what would it be and why?

I have always wanted to be a librarian.

What would you like to do when you retire?

Travel in the summers and work part-time the rest of the year in Disney World.

What is the best thing you ever won?

Bingo and a slot machine jackpot on the same night on a cruise.

If you won the lottery, what would do with the money?

Invest, invest, invest! I would also welcome the opportunity to financially support the arts and conservation efforts.

If you were not working at UNF, what would you be doing? Working for Disney. See any patterns here?

What is your favorite way to blow an hour?

Reading in the hammock in my backyard.

What was the best money you ever spent?

Annual passes to Disney World. We’ve had them for 10 years and my family loves every minute we spend there.

Tell us something that would surprise people to know about you: I minored in piano performance and sang in a vocal jazz group in college.

What was the first concert you ever attended, and what was the most recent concert you attended?

For my first concert, I went to see Debbie Gibson at Metro Park. Last fall, I saw Richard Marx, and I just bought tickets to see Dave Matthews in July!

What person had the greatest impact on your life?

My husband. Just because he makes me happy.

What are you most passionate about? My family.

Who is the most famous person you ever met?

I’ve met four different Miss Americas.

What do you hope to accomplish that you have not done yet?

I am a horrible cook. It might be nice to learn how to make more than spaghetti and crockpot dishes!

Clinical and Applied Movement Sciences: Dr. James Churilla had a manuscript titled “An Evidence-Based Review of Exercise and Metabolic Syndrome” published in the Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology.

Nursing: Beth Dibble, assistant director for Admissions for Nursing and Physical Therapy, graduated April 27 from UNF with a master’s degree in criminal justice and 4.00 GPA. She will begin her Ph.D in Public Safety with Capella University in July.

Public Health: In March 2012, Drs. Michelle Moore, Elissa Barr and Tammie Johnson presented “The relationship between middle school student sexual behaviors and alcohol and tobacco use” at the American Academy of Health Behavior Annual Meeting in Austin.

BCH Academic Advisers: Dwayne Peterson, Miwa Nguyen and Debbie Kochanowski presented at the regional conference for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) in Miami this past March. Their presentation addressed limited access programs and supporting students who are denied admission by examining the paradox between retention goals and demand for academic programs with limited availability.

Awards: Dr. Pamela Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, announced that three faculty members from BCH have won University Awards. Dr. Tes Tuason won an Outstanding Faculty Scholarship, Dr. Michelle Boling won an Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award and Dr. Barbara Olinzock won Outstanding Faculty Service.

Also, Drs. Shana Harrington, assistant professor of Physical Therapy and Julie Merten, instructor and Internship Director in the Department of Public Health, were both recognized in April 2012 by Jacksonville Business Journal as two of the “Top 40 Leaders under the Age of 40” for their individual efforts, determination and successes.

Coggin College of Business

Economics and Geography: Drs. Sharon Cobb and Christopher Johnson received the 2011-2012 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. The awards will be formally presented at the 2012 Fall Convocation.

Management: Diane Denslow co-authored anarticle titled, “Purchasing and Supply Management Sustainability: Drivers and Barriers” that was accepted for publication in the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management.

Dr. Steve Paulson is co-author on a paper that was accepted for publication by the Global Business and Economics Review titled, “The Globalization of Business Activity: Structures, Processes and Prospects for the Demise of Postmodernism.”

Dr. A.C. “Josh” Samli is presenting his paper titled, “Marketing of Marketing in a Marketing Economy” at the American Marketing Society Conference. The conference is called “Marketing Controversy” and was organized by Samli. It will take place in New Orleans in mid-May.

College of Arts & Sciences

Chemisty: Dr. Michael W. Lufaso, in collaboration with undergraduate student Kathryn Mince and others, published "Relaxations in Ba2BiTaO6 ceramics investigated by impedance and electric modulus spectroscopies" in Materials Research Bulletin.

In March Dr. Christos Lampropoulos and his student, Chad A. McDaniel, presented the poster “Single-Molecule Magnets: An Investigation of the Dimensionality-Structure Relationship” at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson. He also presented, with students Hunter Douglas and Christopher D. Haun, the poster “Single-Molecule Magnets: A Playground for Magnetochemists, Physicists, and Spectroscopists” at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry in Orlando. He was invited to speak on integrating technology into educational practices at the Mastering Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

English: Mark Ari gave a talk, “The Wink of Immediacy,” in a workshop on Flash Fiction at the Douglas Anderson Writers’ Festival at UNF. He also conducted an interview with Margaret Atwood.

Dr. Nicholas de Villiers presented a paper, “RuPaul's Drag Race as Meta-Reality Television” at the Northeast Modern Language Association conference in Rochester, NY.

Dr. Chris Gabbard presented a paper, “A Race of Changelings: Swift's Yahoos as Mentally Disabled Other," as part of “Literary and Artistic Representations of the ‘Other’ in France and England” at the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies annual conference in Atlanta.

Linda Howell presented a paper, “Crack in the Classroom: Absurd Fan Productions, Hybridity, and an Ethics of Anti-Process,” at 4Cs, the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication in St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Sam Kimball presented a paper, “Evolutionary Psychology (Deconstructed) and the Constitutive Limits of What can be Taught about Writing,” at 4Cs, the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication" in St. Louis, Mo.

Dr. Clark Lunberry gave a paper titled “Suspicious Silence: Walking Out on John Cage,” at the conference, “(An) Aesthetics of Absence,” at the University of Toronto. He also installed his “Writing on Air” artwork at the conference.

Languages, Literatures and Cultures: Dr. Renee S. Scott presented the paper “Food and Identity in Latino Literature in the United States” at the International Conference on Hispanic Literatures in Cuzco, Peru in March.

Dr. Gregory Helmick presented a paper — "Representación del músico afroboricua y versiones de negritud en Maldito amor (Ferré) y_El entierro de Cortijo (Rodríguez-Juliá)"— in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March at the Negritud: International Conference of Afro-Latin American Studies.

Dr. Nuria Ibáñez-Quintana gave a presentation “Sabina Berman, Águila o sol: A propósito de Malinche” at the International Symposium of Hispanic Literature at California State University at Dominguez Hills in Los Angeles in March.

Dr. Nick Curry played as a featured soloist with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the Jacksonville Arena in December and joined the group again in March for a concert in Tallahassee. He presented on “Practicing Intonation on a String Instrument” at the College Music Society’s regional conference in February and presented on “Recruiting Basics for College Educators” at the American String Teachers Associations national conference in March. He was invited to play the cello for the filming of the finale of Oprah Winfrey’s TV show.

Philosophy and Religion: Dr. Julie Ingersoll presented a paper, “Christian Reconstructionism: Biblical Law in Contemporary America,” at The College of Charleston in Charleston in March.

Dr. Sarah Mattice published “Drinking to Get Drunk: Pleasure, Creativity, and Social Harmony in Ancient Greece and China,” in Comparative and Continental Philosophy Journal. She also published “Confucian Ethics in the 21st Century: A Comment on Roger Ames' Confucian Role Ethics,” in Frontiers of Philosophy in China. She presented a paper, “On the Possibility of Non-Combative Oppositionality: Chinese Philosophy of War, Dharma Combat, and Compassionate Conversations,” at the Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle conference in San Diego in March.

Physics: Dr. Lev Gasparov received $7,500 from the National Science Foundation for his ongoing NSF grant ”RUI: Optical Studies of Magnetic, Charge, and Orbital Ordering in Lone-Pair Compounds and Magnetite.”

Political Science and Public Administration: Dr. Georgette Dumont presented a paper on “Nonprofits and Social Media: Applying SROI to New Technologies” at the American Society for Public Administration annual conference in Las Vegas in March. She presented a paper, “Understanding the Relationship Between Nonprofits and Social Media in Duval County, FL” at the Florida Political Science Association annual conference in Tampa Bay in March.

Dr. Natasha Christie presented a paper “Felon-Collateral Consequences: An Old Tool with a New Name,” at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

Dr. Matthew Corrigan presented the paper: “Jeb Bush and the Conservative Movement in America” at the Symposium of Southern Politics in Charleston in March.

Sociology and Anthropology: Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull presented his paper, “The Politicization of the ‘Apolitical:’ Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia” as part of the panel he organized, Indonesian Politics by Other Means: The Distribution and Manipulation of Power Outside Elections at the Association of Asian Studies annual meetings in Toronto in March.

Dr. Jenny Stuber was invited by the DePauw University sociology faculty to talk with advanced sociology and women’s studies students about her book, Inside the College Gates, and its findings concerning gender and social class inequalities within higher education.

Dr. Aleksandra Millicevic made a presentation entitled “Occupy Movement and Social Inequalities” at the 12th Annual International Business Research Conference, organized by the Coggin College of Business from UNF, and The School of Management from Warsaw University. He was a member of the panel on economic inequality and its impact on business.

College of Computing, Engineering & Construction

Computing: Dr. Ching-Hua Chuan served as a reviewer for the 50th ACM Southeast Conference in Tuscaloosa, Ala. from March 29­ though 31. Also, SoC students Erick Douglas, Marc Mazour and Nihar Goswami, advised Chuan, presented their project “Osprey Flight Path: A Mobile Guiding Application on Campus,” in the 2nd Annual Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at Stetson University March 16 and 17.

Dr. Bob Roggio was elected to a five-year term on the executive council of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the international computing sciences honor society. He was also selected to participate as an accreditation team member for the Distance Education Training Council in Washington, D.C.

Construction Management: Dr. David Lambert was appointed to the “Green Infrastructure” Planning Committee of the Northeast Florida Regional Council, the primary regional planning agency. Lambert will lead an effort to map out green infrastructure and coordinate cooperation between this effort and the ongoing project, “Jacksonville Green Map,” which is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Chapter and funded by the JEA Conservation Office. Lambert also serves on the Emergency Preparation Planning Committee. These committees provide citizen input to the First Coast Vision, long-term regional planning process involving seven NE Florida counties.

College of Education & Human Services

Childhood Education: Dr. Christine Weber has served as a guest editor for the January 2012 issue of Gifted Child Today. She has also published two articles in the journal, “Teacher professionalism” and “A lack of awareness and emphasis in pre-service teacher training experiences: Preconceived beliefs about the gifted and talented.”

Dr. Nile Stanley and Yue Meng, a Chinese graduate technology education exchange student, have published an article titled, “Recognizing the Learner: the Effect of Culture on the Learning Process” in the March issue of Language Magazine. It can be viewed online here.Also, Nilehas been invited as a visiting scholar to teach a graduate seminar on learning theory this summer at Shaanxi Normal University, X’ian, in China.

Dr. John Ouyang presented, “Development and Issues of Open Universities in China: A statistical perspective” at the 23rd International Annual Conference of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Austin March 5-9.

In March, Dr. Katie Monnin’s “Katie's Korner” on Action News focused on summer beach reading and writing for you and your family. The video clip is online here. Also on Action News, Monnin talked about the reading phenomenon “The Hunger Games.” The video clip is online here. She also presented to a university-wide audience at the UNF’s Carpenter Library on “Why all Educators Should Care About Teaching Comics and Graphic Novels.” In June, Monnin will lead an elementary-based summer camp about the values of teaching and reading with graphic novels at the Discovery Montessori school. She is also helping to form an after-school reading group with comics and graphic novels at Discovery, as well.

Leadership, School Counseling & Sport Management: "Sport Branding: From Linsanity to The PGA Tour" was presented by Drs. Jason Lee and Kristi Sweeney from the UNF Sport Management program along with Ric Clarson, vice president of marketing development for the PGA TOUR at the Sport Management and Medicine Conference at Jacksonville University April 11. Drs. Lee and Sweeney will also be presenting two sessions at the 2012 Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Spring Conference. The sessions are titled: “Movies as Motivators: Facilitating Learning through Film” and “Made You Look — ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue: Diversity, Body Image and Beyond.”

Office of Educational Field Experiences: In March, Drs. Susan Syverud, Gina Gannon and Debbie Reed from the Department of Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education,along withDr. Stacy (Keller) Boote from the Department of Childhood Education, Literacy, and TESOL, and Maria Ramdas and Christie Stevenson from the Office of Educational Field Experiences went to Las Vegas to present at the National Association of Professional Development Schools Conference. Their presentation was titled, “A Continuum of Clinical Preparation: The Urban Professional Development School Model of the University of North Florida.” Dr. Susan Syverud and graduate researcher Gina Gannon also gave a presentation at the same conference titled, “Urban Professional Development School Partners Impacting Early Literacy Achievement.”

Monitored measurements are a key to exercising effectively. These measurements allow you to keep an eye on your performance, so you can make adjustments if needed.

Measurements are everywhere — from grades on school assignments, to annual performance evaluations at work — so it makes sense to keep tabs on your exercises. To get the results you want, you need to know how hard you are working and if you are training at the right intensity. If you’re training your cardiovascular system, it is best to measure your heart rate. The faster your heart is beating, the greater the intensity of the activity. Advances in technology have made heart-rate monitors easy to find and far more affordable than they were 10 years ago. Use a heart rate-monitor to help ensure you are exercising at an adequate pace. Measuring your heart rate provides you with a window into your cardiovascular system, so you can see how it is responding. Don’t waste your time training at an inappropriate intensity. Measure your heart rate during any form of cardiovascular training to assure your training gets an A+ each time.

Healthy Osprey is designed to provide solid advice on how to become more healthy at work and at home. Shelly Purser, director of Health Promotions, and Mike Kennedy, assistant director of Health Promotions, will write a different article each month that will focus on some aspect of health and wellness. Healthy Osprey is a collaboration of students, faculty and staff working together to foster a University community that embraces the development of a healthybody, mind and spirit. The purpose of the Healthy Osprey initiative is to assess and respond to the needs of the UNF community to create and maintain a healthy environment, which will enhance the holistic student experience. For more information, contact Shelly Purser at spurser@unf.edu.

Barley is one of the world’s major grains. Dr. Judith Rodriguez, registered dietitian and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, discusses barley, a good source of fiber that is also low in fat and cholesterol free. Barley is most often used in soups and stews, but it can also be used to make barley bread and be added to many dishes. To help you use it in your diet, a recipe is provided.

Myth: Barley is only good food for horses and cows.

Fact: Barley is a cereal grain that serves as food for both humans as well as animal feed and is also used to make malt (for beer). In the U.S., it’s more commonly used as feed, but barley can still be a valuable component to a healthy diet. Barley is a staple in some Europeans and Middle Eastern cuisines and has a slightly sweet earthy flavor and chewy texture.

Myth: Barley is gluten-free.

Fact: Although barley is lower in gluten than wheat, it does contain gluten — about 5 to 8 percent. Persons who are concerned about gluten or allergic to gluten should consult their physician and Registered Dietitian.

Myth: Pearl barley is a whole grain.

Fact: Barley that has only had the outer husk removed and has been minimally processed is considered the whole grain barley. It’s also known as hulled barley and it contains the endosperm, germ and bran. Pearl barley is not “whole grain barley.” Pearl barley has had the inedible outer hull and bran removed and has been polished. Pearl barley is available as medium, fine or baby pearl kernels, flaked, cut (grits) or cut or ground (flour).

Myth: Barley isn’t as good a source of fiber as wheat.

Fact: Pearl barley is a great source of fiber and contains more fiber than wheat.

Myth: Barley isn’t an important grain.

Fact: Barley is one of the major and most ancient cereals — wheat, barley, rice and maize have been used by humans for many years, and barley has had great significance in Middle Eastern and European cuisine. Barley has been found in the remains of Stone Age cakes and was part of the food of gladiators.

Barley Salad

2 cups chopped raw broccoli flowerets

1 cup barley, pearled, cooked

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil

1 tsp. fresh dill or ½ tsp. dried dill (optional)

Salt to taste

Sauté all ingredients in a pan. Serve hot or cold. For a lower-calorie dish, decrease walnuts and oil by half. You may also use cooked hulled or quick-cooking barley instead of pearl barley. Serves 8.

The Goods is a monthly column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program and runs in The Florida Times-Union’s “Taste” section. Have a question about barley? Contact Dr. Rodriguez at jrodrigu@unf.edu.